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| Alison Gilkes |
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| Jonathan waits while his name is announced for the 1000m race |
| Alison Gilkes |
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| After he is announced, Jo puts on his helmet and readies himself for skating |
| Finishlynx by Cyberscoreboard |
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| Jonathan glides across the line first in the 1000m quarter final |
| Noelle Neu |
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| Jonathan watches the action on the ice between races |
| Finishlynx by Cyberscoreboard |
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| In the semis, Jo qualifies in 1st for the final, but this was the last race he completed at Worlds. |
| Alison Gilkes |
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| Jonathan begins the 1000m final in 4th place |
| Alison Gilkes |
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| Jonathan passes Li and makes it into 3rd place, with Ahn and Lee in 1st and 2nd |
| Alison Gilkes |
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| Jo comes around the corner before deciding to attempt an outside pass |
| Alison Gilkes |
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| Jonathan picks up speed for a difficult, outside pass |
| Photographer Unknown ~ Submitted by Susan Lo |
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| Lee crosses Jo's path and causes Jonathan to trip, fall and slide toward the wall |
| Submitted by Susan Lo - Photographer Unknown |
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| The moment of impact, when Jo hits the wall head first and yells in agony |
| Submitted by Klaude Lauzon - Photographer Unknown |
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| The full force of Seung-Jae Lee hitting, as Jonathan crumples into the wall |
| Submitted by Klaude Lauzon - Photographer Unknown |
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| Jonathan is put on stretcher, gets neck brace & is taken to the hospital to assess injury severity |
This was arguably one of
the most bittersweet competitions of Jonathan's career; in peak condition with the lowest body fat he's ever had, the
best World Cup standings he'd ever attained in a single season and an excellent, super-posititve mindset, Jonathan went into
this competition ready to win it all. He started out very well with a great showing in the 1500m, (silver) and
although his 500m did not gain him any points, he remained convinced that he could make it up in the 1000m and 3000m distances,
the ones he'd done best in all year. But before he could finish the 1000m or even skate the 3000m, he was taken out in the 1000m final when
Seung-Jae Lee took two steps to the outside when Jonathan was attempting an outside pass with one lap to go. In
a blatant disregard for the rules, Lee illegally blocked Jo and caused him to fall and hit the wall, head first,
at full speed. Jonathan was hospitalized for a week and a half, had to have back surgery to stabilize his 11th vertabra
which sustained a compression fracture, and early reports said that he would not be able to skate for at least 3 months.
Lee was given a yellow card and ejected from the entire competition. Speed Skating Canada immediately removed
all of its competititors from the remainder of the competion. Outcries and outrage from fans around the world
for a review of the tactics used by competitors as well as the rink size approved by the ISU came pouring in. The competition
was moved to the smaller rink from a correctly-sized one in favor of a hockey game, and 4 other athletes, Canada's Alanna
Kraus & Amelie Goulet-Nadon, Italy's Evelina Rodigari and America's Rusty Smith were all put in the hospital
for varying lengths of time due to 3-inch thick ice (far too thick for standard competition). Yet despite earning points
only in his 1500m race, Jonathan finished 6th in the world in 2004!
See more photos by Alison Gilkes of the 1000m races!
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